Editorial: Don’t hide domestic violence

Wednesday

Apr 9, 2014 at 11:57 PMApr 10, 2014 at 2:01 PM

There is much to like in the domestic violence prevention bill being considered on Beacon Hill, and one provision that goes too far.The bill approved by the House Wednesday would set stiffer penalties for domestic violence, make strangulation a felony, provide training for police, prosecutors and judges, and delay setting bail in domestic violence cases long enough for arrangements to be made protecting alleged victims from their accusers.The bill also blows a big hole in state laws giving the press and public access to information on crime and criminals. The bill, introduced just a week ago by House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Attorney General Martha Coakley, would keep off all daily police logs reports of domestic violence, rape or sexual assault.The intent is to encourage victims of domestic violence and sexual assaults to report them, without fear that press reports might tip off the offender or embarrass the victim. It’s an understandable concern: Victims have good reason to fear their accusers, and to worry that people will figure out their identities despite laws and practices that shield them.But there’s no proof that keeping these crime reports out of the public police logs will be any more than a marginal factor in reporting by victims, and it can be argued that sweeping these crimes out of public view make victims feel even more isolated and hopeless. Press accounts of these crimes and prosecutions act as a deterrent to abusers and send a message to victims that crimes committed against them will be taken seriously.Lawmakers must also consider the public interest in keeping police logs open. People have a right and a need to know if rapes are being reported in their neighborhood. They deserve to know if elected officials or public servants are charged with violent crimes. In 2012, for instance, the Waltham police chief was charged with domestic assault, and was later dismissed from his job. Had this law been in effect, the people who paid his salary might never have known about his arrest.The pitfalls of the police log provision could have been discussed in detail, but DeLeo skipped public hearings and committee votes to bring his bill straight to the floor. He and Coakley concede they were inspired to act swiftly by the death in Waltham of Jennifer Martel last August, allegedly at the hands of Jared Remy, the son of a famous sports personality. Why it took a high-profile case to get a veteran legislator like DeLeo and a career prosecutor like Coakley to recognize the problem of domestic violence is curious. But whatever the motivation, it does not excuse sloppy legislating or a refusal to consider the possibility of unintended consequences.Since the Senate passed a similar domestic violence bill last October, a conference committee will be named to reconcile their differences. That provides an opportunity to remove the provision that would deprive the public of information about these serious crimes.